John Sutherland earned his third Otago Club Championship title in a row with a perfect combined score of 10/10 in the Senior Championship. Although some games are yet to be played, no-one can catch Sutherland. The next highest scorers in the Senior grade are Hamish Gold on 4½, Quentin Johnson on 4 (with two games in hand) and Geoff Aimers on 3½. The Intermediate Championship was a close contest between Iain Lamont and Brent Southgate until the last, when the former pulled away on 9 points to the latter's final total of 7. The Junior Club Championship was easily taken out by Otago Open Junior Champion, Adam Scott with a combined score of 10½/12 ahead of Joseph Brown on 7 and Elliot Munro and Shoji Fukushima tied for third on 6 points.
Today's game is Sutherland final win in the event, playing White against Aimers. The analysis was kindly supplied by the winner.
1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 c5 3.d5 e6 4.Nc3!? ---
Avoiding well-known Benoni lines that would result after 4 c4. 4.--- exd5 5.Nxd5 Nxd5 6.Qxd5 Qc7?!
Better is 6...Be7, the move played leaves f7 vulnerable. 7.Ng5! d6 8.e4 ---
White misses 8.Nxh7 winning a pawn as 8...Rxh7 loses the exchange to 9.Qe4+. 8.--- Nc6 9.Bf4---
White now gets pushed back. Better was 9.Bc4 Ne5 10.Bb5+ Bd7 11.Bxd7+ Qxd7 12.Bf4 Nc6 13.0-0-0 with advantage for White. 9.--- h6!
Avoiding 9...Nd4? 10.c3 Nc2+ 11.Kd2 Nxa1 12.Bb5+ Bd7 13.Qxf7+ Kd8 14.Ne6+ Bxe6 15.Qe8#. 10.Nf3 g5 11.Bg3 Qa5+ 12.Qd2 Qxd2+ 13.Nxd2 Be6 14.Bc4 0-0-0 15.0-0-0 d5 16.exd5 Bxd5 17.Bxd5 Rxd5 18.Nc4 Rxd1+ 19.Rxd1 f5 20.Bd6 Nd4?!
Better was 20...f4 with a level ending. White now gains the advantage through a tactical sequence. 21.c3 Nb5 22.Bxf8 Rxf8 23.a4 Nc7 24.Nd6+ Kb8 25.Nxf5 b5
Of course not 25...Rxf5?? 26 Rd8 mate. Black finds the only way to avoid going a pawn down, but his remaining pawns are in poor health. 26.Nxh6 Rxf2 27.Rd2 Rf1+ 28.Kc2 bxa4 29.Ng4 Nb5?!
An inferior plan, alllowing White activate his rook and getting the knight offside. 29...Re1 cutting down the knight's mobility and tying White's rook to the 2nd rank would have been a tougher defence. 30.Rd5 a3 31.bxa3 Nxa3+ 32.Kb3 Nb5 33.Rxc5 a6 34.Rxg5 Resigns
The two kingside pawns will win easily.
Sutherland dominates Otago Championship
Problem: White to play and mate in four.
John Sutherland earned his third Otago Club Championship title in a row with a perfect combined score of 10/10 in the Senior Championship. Although some games are yet to be played, no-one can catch Sutherland. The next highest scorers in the Senior grade are Hamish Gold on 4½, Quentin Johnson on 4 (with two games in hand) and Geoff Aimers on 3½. The Intermediate Championship was a close contest between Iain Lamont and Brent Southgate until the last, when the former pulled away on 9 points to the latter's final total of 7. The Junior Club Championship was easily taken out by Otago Open Junior Champion, Adam Scott with a combined score of 10½/12 ahead of Joseph Brown on 7 and Elliot Munro and Shoji Fukushima tied for third on 6 points.
Today's game is Sutherland final win in the event, playing White against Aimers. The analysis was kindly supplied by the winner.
1.d4 Nf6
2.Nf3 c5
3.d5 e6
4.Nc3!? ---
Avoiding well-known Benoni lines that would result after 4 c4.
4.--- exd5
5.Nxd5 Nxd5
6.Qxd5 Qc7?!
Better is 6...Be7, the move played leaves f7 vulnerable.
7.Ng5! d6
8.e4 ---
White misses 8.Nxh7 winning a pawn as 8...Rxh7 loses the exchange to 9.Qe4+.
8.--- Nc6
9.Bf4---
White now gets pushed back. Better was 9.Bc4 Ne5 10.Bb5+ Bd7 11.Bxd7+ Qxd7 12.Bf4 Nc6 13.0-0-0 with advantage for White.
9.--- h6!
Avoiding 9...Nd4? 10.c3 Nc2+ 11.Kd2 Nxa1 12.Bb5+ Bd7 13.Qxf7+ Kd8 14.Ne6+ Bxe6 15.Qe8#.
10.Nf3 g5
11.Bg3 Qa5+
12.Qd2 Qxd2+
13.Nxd2 Be6
14.Bc4 0-0-0
15.0-0-0 d5
16.exd5 Bxd5
17.Bxd5 Rxd5
18.Nc4 Rxd1+
19.Rxd1 f5
20.Bd6 Nd4?!
Better was 20...f4 with a level ending. White now gains the advantage through a tactical sequence.
21.c3 Nb5
22.Bxf8 Rxf8
23.a4 Nc7
24.Nd6+ Kb8
25.Nxf5 b5
Of course not 25...Rxf5?? 26 Rd8 mate. Black finds the only way to avoid going a pawn down, but his remaining pawns are in poor health.
26.Nxh6 Rxf2
27.Rd2 Rf1+
28.Kc2 bxa4
29.Ng4 Nb5?!
An inferior plan, alllowing White activate his rook and getting the knight offside. 29...Re1 cutting down the knight's mobility and tying White's rook to the 2nd rank would have been a tougher defence.
30.Rd5 a3
31.bxa3 Nxa3+
32.Kb3 Nb5
33.Rxc5 a6
34.Rxg5 Resigns
The two kingside pawns will win easily.
1-0
Solution: 1 Bxf7+! Rxf7 (1... Kh8 2 Bf6 Ng7 3 Bxg7#) 2 Rxc8+ Qe8 3 Rxe8+ Rf8 4 Rxf8#.